Are You Weighed Down By Cares?
Have you ever felt so weighed down by worries and concerns that “hopeless” was the only word to adequately describe your feelings? When the cares of life get that heavy, giving up can seem like the only logical thing to do. You may even start feeling almost paralyzed with fear as you look at the circumstances that surround you.
If you are a child of God, this is not how you are meant to live! God’s plan has always been that you live in perfect peace and ultimately find deliverance from trials. That’s why God is vehemently against worry. It does not produce anything but stress, strain and death. Jesus preached against it; Paul preached against it. The whole Bible is against worry because Satan designed it.
Consider these scriptures:
“Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1)
“Don’t worry” (Matthew 6:31).
Worrying is a sin. It’s one of those things the Word of God directly commands us to not do.
Satan’s Primary Weapons
The Word tells us that Satan goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). What does the enemy use to devour the saints? The cares of this life—the very anxieties and fears that God instructs His people to roll onto Him:
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, CASTING ALL YOUR CARES UPON HIM, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour ( 1 Peter 5:6-8.)
Satan has studied mankind for many years and knows exactly what motivates them. He knows exactly how they think. In fact, when it comes to devising and implementing strategy, the devil is a military genius. The good news, however, is that God is infinitely better than the enemy at providing a winning strategy. Everything we need to overcome the devil’s strategies against us can be found in God’s Word.
Much like a lion hunting his prey, the devil will stalk us, showing no mercy and using the cares of this life as weapons to destroy us. And like the lion’s prey, when we hear the devil roar, we can also be tempted to feel helpless and fearful.
The devil would throw an imagination at me; then he would watch to see what I was going to do with it. He wanted to see how I was going to react or what I was going to say. But I finally figured out I couldn’t prevail over the enemy without using the spiritual weapons of warfare God had provided for me. I also learned that in order to cast down the devil’s imaginations, I had to control my words. Jesus confirms this in these two verses:
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matthew 12:37)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [a]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45)
We can use our words to bring forth the good treasures of God’s Word that reside in our hearts. In doing so, we can cast down any devilish imaginations that might cause us to accept defeat.
Cast Your Cares by Stopping Worried Thoughts Before They Start
“We take captive every thought.” –2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
The mind is where the battle between worry and peace takes place. Whatever you allow to captivate your mind will rule your life. So, if you want the Word of God to reign over your thoughts, you have to resist the devil when he tries to plant anything contrary in your mind. That’s why, in order to cast your cares, you have to stop worried thoughts before they even start.
When you get a phone call, an email or something in the mail with bad news, you have a choice to make: will you allow fear, worry and anxiety to fill your heart, or will you stand firm in your faith and tell the devil to split? The only way to do the latter is to take that thought captive—immediately! That means to stop it in its tracks, and keep it from being free to roam in your mind.
When you first begin this practice, it may be tough at first, but the good news is, if you’ll be diligent to fight that battle against worry by keeping the Word in your heart and in your mouth, the time will come when that Word and the knowledge of God’s faithfulness is so big on the inside of you, you won’t have to fight it anymore.
Replace worry, fear and anxiety with the Word of God
“Meditate on [the Word] day and night.” –(Joshua 1:8)
The next step to casting your cares on Jesus is to replace your worry with the Word. Many people want God to supernaturally remove their worry, but that is not the way to get the peace of God. Peace comes by acting on the Word that says to cast all of your worry and anxiety over on Him. You must replace those thoughts with the Word.
Philippians 4:8 (KJV) says to think on whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. “If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
You are the one who has to control your mind, but you are not without help! The Word says that the peace of God will garrison and mount guard over your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7, AMPC). The Greater One who dwells within you is able to help you as long as you are obedient to replace your worries with His Word.
Every time a situation arises, be armed and ready with a response from God’s Word. God’s Word always has an answer to any situation or problem! The more time you spend meditating on His Word, the quicker you will be with your response to the devil, just as Jesus was when the devil tried to tempt Him. No matter what the devil said, Jesus fired back instantly with the truth of God’s Word.
If we are to leave our cares permanently at the altar, we must recognize and master the “spiritual law of displacement.” To the degree that the Holy Spirit can make the Word of God a living force in us, to that same degree the cares of this life can be displaced. When the cares are displaced, they can be REPLACED by peace, comfort, and joy!